The Monterey Bay Aquarium got its start in 1914 when Frank Booth approached the Monterey City Council with a plan to build an aquarium for $10,000. Others proposed an aquarium in the basement of the Pacific Grove Museum, and later, Dr. Lawrence R. Blinks also proposed an aquarium in the Monterey Bay area. All of these ideas were shot down, but they evolved into a solid plan for an aquarium in this area in the 1970s.
One of the most popular exhibits at the Monterey Bay Aquarium is called Wild about Otters. This exhibit features both African spotted-necked otters and Asian small-clawed otters at play, and nearby, guests can also view southern sea otters. Other animal coexist in this exhibit as well, so guests will see snakes, fish, and frogs in this otter exhibit.
Another popular exhibit, especially among children, is the Splash Zone. As the name implies, guests may get wet in this exhibit. Splash Zone animals include penguins, seahorses, octopuses, anemones, cuttlefish, sea stars, sea dragons, clownfish, eels, urchins, and kelp rock fish. Most of the exhibits in the Splash Zone are interactive to help children learn more about the animals in this area.
Other exhibits that are found at the Monterey Bay Aquarium include Kelp Forest, Mission to the Deep, Life on the Bay, Outer Bay, Rocky Shore, Sandy Shore, the Aviary, Secret Life of Seahorses, and the Giant Octopus. Some of the fish guests can expect to see include the broadnose sevengill shark, the California barracuda, the California moray eel, the blacktip reef shark, the deep sea anglerfish, the dwarf seahorse, the Pacific electric ray, the Pacific bluefin tuna, the parrotfish, the potbelly seahorse, the hammerhead shark, the southern stingray, the white shark, the spotted ratfish, and the zebra shark. The aquarium also has a number of amphibians, marine mammals, reptiles, invertebrates, and birds, which include the sea lion, blue whale, elephant seal, orca, humpback whale, common dolphin, sperm whale, Asian vine snake, black sea turtle, Malaya box turtle, Vietnamese mossy frog, brown pelican, and blackfoot penguin.
The aquarium is also a great place to learn about some of the plants and algae found in the ocean. Some of the species guests can see include American dune grass, dead man's fingers, salt grass, eelgrass, acid seaweed, giant kelp, and red coralline alga. Many of the habitats are set up to mimic the natural habitats found in nature.
The Monterey Bay Aquarium is open daily from 10:00 AM to 6:00 PM, with slightly longer hours during the summer and some holidays. They have an email newsletter available to help keep guests up to date on aquarium happenings, as well as webcams set up so that those interested can view the animals at this aquarium from home by going to their website. They're also committed to conservation and sustainability, so they have a number of tools online and at the aquarium to help guests learn more about keeping the oceans clean and making smart seafood choices.
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